7 Qassams fired at western Negev; no injuries

Seven Qassam rockets landed Wednesday across the western Negev. No injuries were reported in the attacks.

The rockets landed in open fields near Ashkelon and Sderot. One of the Qassams fell near a strategic facility in the Ashkelon industrial area south of the city.

The al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad's military wing, claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. A senior official in the organization

told Ynet that the Qassam fire was in response to the Arab summit in Riyadh; the organization did not accept the initiative, which does not acknowledge the right of return for Palestinians.

Ashkelon's Deputy Mayor Avi Vaknin told Ynet that several drills were carried out in the region recently, aimed at testing the town's preparedness for a massive Qassam attack.

Vaknin urged the government to do its utmost to prevent the rocket fire at Ashkelon.

Head of the Shaar Hanegev Regional Council Alon Shuster said that contrary to the defense minister's estimates, the anti-missile system Israel is currently developing against the Qassams would only be operative in five years.